.357 , .44 magnum or .45 LC Lever Action

[ghitch75]

there is just as many for choices in 45C as 44mag out there for the none reloader.....if you just look.....

45 colt ammo handgun

 

[in625shooter]

there is just as many for choices in 45C as 44mag out there for the none reloader.....if you just look.....

45 colt ammo handgun

True but as far as on shelf availability not so much! Most Rural King's, Walmart etc will have several types of 357 and 44 mag to the 1 or 2 types of 45 Colt if your lucky

 

[hrearden]

i can run 45C at the same speed as 44mag with 18% larger diameter.....i'm pushin' a 270gr 1500fps from a 7 1/2" barrel...and as far as from double to single action is all in who is runnin' it.....

If the OP was into single actions and loading for calibers, he wouldnt have to ask for recommendations unless he was just doing it for the hell of it. My point wasnt about how fast you can get the rounds off. My preference for the SW platform lies in the grips and smoothness of the action and cost effectiveness. I usually shoot a DA revolver SA if I have the opportunity. As far as loading your rounds goes, Id like to see just how much difference the 18% larger diameter actually makes in making a kill other than giving a slightly bigger hole to bleed out of. More power to you if you prefer the round and the firearms that shoot it. I aint knocking it, I just find 44 to be a better choice.

I was waiting for a post like this. Very true, but the OP did not indicate the desire to reload. The 44mag is way more practical.

I would have to agree, for a non-reloading person the 44mag would be the way to go.

I like to see that you guys are on the same page, but why does it matter if he reloads or not? I cant see where I could get 45LC to be any more effective killing the same size game at the same ranges from the same guns as a 44 mag, all things being equal. Please, correct me if Im on the wrong track.

 

[ru44mag]

A 270 grain bullet at 1500 fps is stepping it up a notch. No one said, it would make the deer anymore dead. It's just the harder you hit it, and the bigger the hole, assuming your aim is good, the quicker the deer will go down. It's like comparing the .357 mag to the 44 mag, only not nearly as big of a gap. If someone reloads, he has a slight advantage. But back to the OP. From the info given, I believe the 44 mag is by far the better choice.

 

[hrearden]

A 270 grain bullet at 1500 fps is stepping it up a notch. No one said, it would make the deer anymore dead. It's just the harder you hit it, and the bigger the hole, assuming your aim is good, the quicker the deer will go down. It's like comparing the .357 mag to the 44 mag, only not nearly as big of a gap. If someone reloads, he has a slight advantage. But back to the OP. From the info given, I believe the 44 mag is by far the better choice.

Sure its a step up from a 44 with your typical 240 gr bullet. However, every reloading manual I have (3) has loads for 265gr at 1600 without being close to excessive, 1700 in the red. This again would boil down to the only step up being the bullet diameter. And I agree, if your shot is good, none of this will matter. Im merely trying to point out that 44mag to 45LC is not quite as big of a step as 357 is to 44. The energy transferred to target wont really be that much different. I might also add that you have to handload both rounds to get them this way.

 

[kalboy]

If the OP was into single actions and loading for calibers, he wouldnt have to ask for recommendations unless he was just doing it for the hell of it. My point wasnt about how fast you can get the rounds off. My preference for the SW platform lies in the grips and smoothness of the action and cost effectiveness. I usually shoot a DA revolver SA if I have the opportunity. As far as loading your rounds goes, Id like to see just how much difference the 18% larger diameter actually makes in making a kill other than giving a slightly bigger hole to bleed out of. More power to you if you prefer the round and the firearms that shoot it. I aint knocking it, I just find 44 to be a better choice.



I like to see that you guys are on the same page, but why does it matter if he reloads or not? I cant see where I could get 45LC to be any more effective killing the same size game at the same ranges from the same guns as a 44 mag, all things being equal. Please, correct me if Im on the wrong track.

Yup, you're on the wrong track . Nothing to dispute the 44mag as the best hunting cartridge ever devised just that the 45Colt isn't at it's best in factory ammo .

 

[hrearden]

Yup, you're on the wrong track . Nothing to dispute the 44mag as the best hunting cartridge ever devised just that the 45Colt isn't at it's best in factory ammo .

No round is at its best with factory ammo. I havent had this debate with anyone in a long time. Its nice to see that it is still alive and well. We could probably talk about it for the next week or so and still not have the debate resolved. Like 9mm vs 40 vs 45.

 

[ru44mag]

No round is at its best with factory ammo. I havent had this debate with anyone in a long time. Its nice to see that it is still alive and well. We could probably talk about it for the next week or so and still not have the debate resolved. Like 9mm vs 40 vs 45.

I'm not sure what the debate is. You can reload the 45LC about as hot as you can reload the 44mag...true. The 45LC is not much more than a 44special in factory loads...true. The 44 mag hits a lot harder than a .357. And we have not heard from the OP lately, but most are guessing he will buy his ammo off the shelf. So...back to the 44 mag being his best choice in a lever gun in Indiana. There are other choices, but the OP did not mention anything like the .458 Socom. If he did...well this thread would really get interesting.

 

[kalboy]

I'm not and haven't been debating anything. Haven't really seen it as a this vs that kind of issue really because I'm of the mind that any of the 3 chamberings the OP mentioned could do fine as a deer rd in the proper loadings and within their range limits.
The 357 and 44 mag are simply offered in factory loadings of bullet type and muzzle velocity that a 45Colt shooter
would need to handload to acquire but if done do move that venerable cartridge into as an effective deer rd as the magnums.
However as the OP more than once mentions consideration of a semiauto pistol as a sidearm he will have to forgo this option with the 45Colt.

 

[hrearden]

I'm not and haven't been debating anything. Haven't really seen it as a this vs that kind of issue really because I'm of the mind that any of the 3 chamberings the OP mentioned could do fine as a deer rd in the proper loadings and within their range limits.
The 357 and 44 mag are simply offered in factory loadings of bullet type and muzzle velocity that a 45Colt shooter
would need to handload to acquire but if done do move that venerable cartridge into as an effective deer rd as the magnums.
However as the OP more than once mentions consideration of a semiauto pistol as a sidearm he will have to forgo this option with the 45Colt.

This is true. I wish the Automags had stuck around longer. They were before my time even, but they are about the only magnum semi autos that I would ever own since Desert Eagles require you to have catchers mitts for hands to operate.

 

[kalboy]

This is true. I wish the Automags had stuck around longer. They were before my time even, but they are about the only magnum semi autos that I would ever own since Desert Eagles require you to have catchers mitts for hands to operate.

Indeed, the OP should handle a Desert Eagle at length if he hasn't already and fire one if possible, if he's seriously considering one to go with his deer rifle. The girth as you mention is in a league of it's own. Awesome engineering and marvelous manufacturing but 70oz unloaded!
That's a pound and a half more than a 7 1/2" Ruger Super Blackhawk or right at 2pd more than a Smith 629 w/ 6" barrel!
Neither of these small or lightweight guns themselves.

 

[cosermann]

I to chose the .357 lever gun and a S&W 686 .357. Both will shoot light load .38 spl. for plinking. But then again I am old school and like wheel guns and rifles with walnut and blue steel. Good luck on your search.

^^ This. I like the versatility of the .357 mag for everything from deer, down to rabbits, and for plinking.

The useful range of all these calibers is pretty much limited by their trajectory - which is virtually the same for the .357 and .44 (see here - 357 or 44 for lever carbine-ballistic curves? - Shooters Forum ).

Over those ranges, the .357 kills deer just fine. Downloaded 357s or 38s with solid bullets are fine for small game and plinking too. The kids have fun shooting it. Depends a bit on your needs/wants.

 

[Hookeye]

My hands are thin, normal sized (not large).
No probs with a DE.

Like 'em, shoot 'em OK, but they're just too bulky.
Carrying that would make it a primary rig.

 

[Patriot3]

I personally like the 357 mag in both the lever guns and the handguns. I had a combo of both the 44 mag and the 357 mag in rifles and handguns, and my own opinion is that the 44 mag is too powerful for most practical handgun applications and tends to hurt after a box of rounds. The 357 is too light for deer in my own opinion (it can be used for hunting though with good shot placement), but for a fun gun and a fun handgun with some defense/hunting/plinking purposes you cannot go wrong with the 357 mag combo and that is what i'd recommend

 

[indiucky]

Henry rifles have ALWAYS been made in the USA, and according to their advertisements, "...always will be."

Now that is interesting....I have a .22 in the shop made in the 1970's by Erma Werke that IS (for all intents and purpose) a Henry .22 lever action...I believe Ithaca may have imported them as well and Erma Werke imported them under their own name. So while the rifles that are called "Henry" were always made in the USA the "rifle" that Henry reversed egineered (or copied) were imported for years...One note is that there is a little more metal than on the current crop....Henry's advertising reminds me of Springfield Armory and their 1911's...There are people to this day that think Springfield Armory is THE Springfield Armory that manufactured our Garands, M1903's, and 1911's even though they have nothing to do with one another...

 

[ACC]

I love seeing all the conversation my OP has stirred up. Very informative.

Just to clarify:

1. I do not have catcher's mitts for hands but I have shot a Desert Eagle and can handle it.

2. I am not a reloader and do not have ready access to hand loads.

3. Availability and cost of ammo are certainly a consideration for me.


Based upon all the feedback, I am leaning toward the good ol' .357. Cheaper round, more varieties available, and easier to find. Though I am disappointed that I cannot get a Glock in .357 mag (but good to know), I do not yet own a revolver and getting one to pair with a new .357 lever action rifle seems like a great idea!

 

[Doug]

I strongly recommend a Ruger revolver to pair with your lever action, single action or double action to suit your preference.
Rugers are built like tanks. The extra weight helps with the recoil of full power loads and they seem to last forever.

 

[bakeman]

.357 mag. will take down a deer just fine, plus you can shoot it all the time on the cheap with .38's.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

I'm taking a 45 colt Henry rifle and Ruger Blackhawk pistol with me to Florida for year round hogs. The Henry frame handles 44 mag so it will handle hot 45s just fine and I got the Blackhawk frame instead of the vaquero because the bh handles pressure that the vaq can not. I do reload. You can be a reloader in under a couple hundred bucks of tools. It's well worth it.